New Jersey Society of Blood Bank Professionals

I studied in Europe for four years in the 80’s recently I decided to be a good citizen and donate blood (yesterday).

I was told that anyone who spent 4 years in certain countries in the 80’s is not allowed to be a blood donor.

I wonder who the Europeans get their blood from?

It depends on where you lived and the cumulative time you were there. To simply quote the American Red Cross

Any person who lived in certain parts of the world during certian times are unable to donate due to the risk of the human variant of Mad Cow Disease. The human variant is called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.

There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found.

At this time, the American Red Cross donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows:

You are not eligible to donate if:

From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK), or
From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any country(ies) in the (UK). The UK includes any of the countries listed below.

Channel Islands
England
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Isle of Man
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
You were a member of the of the U.S. military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a member of the U.S. military who spent a total time of 6 months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas during the specified time frames

From 1980 through 1990 - Belgium, the Netherlands (Holland), or Germany
From 1980 through 1996 - Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or Greece.
You spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 5 years or more from January 1, 1980, to present, in any combination of country(ies) in Europe, including

in the UK from 1980 through 1996 as listed in above
on or associated with military bases as described above, and
in other countries in Europe as listed below:
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland (Republic of)
Italy
Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Montenegro (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Netherlands (Holland)
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Yugoslavia (Federal Republic includes Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia)

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I tried to donate blood but they said that since I had lived on a military base in Turkey in 1989 that I was not eligible. Does anyone know why? Just curious.

because of the people you may have come in contact with during that time

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With exeptions i mean if a family member need a blood transfusion are allowed to donate blood?

It's because people with tattoos are at risk for hepatitis from dirty needles used in the tattooing process, so the Red Cross doesn't take them. And I don't think there are exceptions… but you can always ask.

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I had a blood transfusion last September when I was in a car accident, and I know I have to wait a year to donate blood. But why do you have to wait a year? What happens in a year that makes it ok to give blood again? lol.

Its just in case the blood you were transfused with was carrying a disease. The idea is that in one year, either symptoms would have shown up, or a blood test will show the presence of the disease. Blood tests can't show diseases immediatly. Lets say a person contracts AIDS today. It won't show in a test right away.

That sounds kinda scary, but the fact is that donors and blood are screened so thouroughly that the chance of contracting a disease from a US blood transfusion are almost zero. The fact that we even defer people who have recieved blood from a US blood bank from donating back into that same blood bank is just more evidence that we take no chances.

So enjoy your year off, and then get back in the chair!

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My blood pressure is about 78/52 and the nurse said that I cannot donate blood because they would have to take me to the hospital and put it back in. Is that correct and if it is, does it mean that if I was injured and losing blood I would die more quickly than someone with normal bp?

Blood pressure is partly determined by your blood volume. If you suddenly remove a pint of blood without replacing the volume, it is normal for BP to go down (less blood in the same space = lower pressure)

Your BP is low, but that is probably normal for you, and is just fine. Taking a pint out, though, would likely drop your BP to the point where you won't adequately perfuse your vital organs. This can cause fainting, heart problems, kidney damage and other bad things.

If you were injured and had a major blood loss, you might see adverse effects more quickly. However, if you are young and otherwise healthy, your sympathetic nervous system would kick in big time and the adrenaline would probably keep your BP high enough to keep you going.

People who have high blood pressure are at risk if they lose a lot of blood because of something called autoregulation. Their organs are used to the higher pressures, and they are unable to tolerate pressures that would be normal for you.

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I hear ads asking for more blood donors every day but they are making it more & more difficult to donate blood. I used to donate but now they dont want it 'cos ive visited Thailand.
Im sure I could get tested for malaria or my blood could, BUT… if I was in danger of dying from lack of blood Id sure as hell take anyones blood! Maybe I would die later but not now!

They're just trying to protect people. I had an uncle who had knee surgery in the late 80's and he got hepatitus C from his transfusion. Its not something to take lightly, and not everyone shares your opinion on preffering to die later. I, for one, would prefer to die quietly and painlessly on an operating table tomorrow than to die a horrible, painful death from HIV, Malaria, or Hepatitus in ten years.

I'm sure they could do tests, but then again, there may be pathogens that they can't detect that you might have come into contact with in Thailand.

I wish I could donate, but I'm anemic, and my doc won't let me… The shortage should get better soon though.

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Such as what the best tempreture, condition, container,..to keep it save & unaffected.
What is the best refrigrating tempreture for it ?

i always ask these kind of questions when i am giving blood and if i remember correctly it only last for like 4 days - they keep it in vinyl bags in a fridge until its needed. - i could be totally wrong.

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I live in India,my age is 14.Can I donate blood if I want.my blood group is O-.I can save many lives because it is a rare blood group.Is there any law about donating blood? I thank all in advance.
Yeah I was mistaken.O- is not a rare blood group

I have no idea about India, but in the United States you have to be 17, at least 110 pounds, and in good health. Try asking the Indian Red Cross

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